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Dad Arrested For Picking Up His Own Kids in Japan
An American dad who traveled to Japan in search of the two kids abducted by his Japanese ex-wife is now sitting in a foreign jail. His crime? He picked up his own kids, then took off for the U.S. consulate.
The father, Christopher Savoie, was granted full custody of his two kids by a court in Tennessee, but that’s a ruling the Japanese government has ignored. So Savoie’s current wife, Amy, told CBS News he went to see his children. He picked six-year-old Rebecca and eight-year-old Isaac up as they walked to school with their mother (his ex-wife), then headed for the consulate, where he was blocked by Japanese police.
The story has shades of the Sean Goldman case – another international custody case. Sean was kidnapped by his Brazilian mother, who is now dead, and his New Jersey dad is fighting to get him back. But though Brazilian authorities have ignored the New Jersey rulings giving David Goldman custody of his son, essentially treating David as a criminal, they’ve never gone so far as to arrest him for his attempts to see his own child.
That’s where Japanese officials apparently thing Savoie was in the wrong – in making contact with his kids. As a parent, I can’t say I’d do anything different.
Do you think Savoie should have picked the kids up or just flown into town and exhausted legal channels?
Image: CNN
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Mistress_Scorpio commented on Sep 30 09 at 4:44 pmJust a correction, but he wasn’t arrested for trying to *see* or *make contact* his kids. He was arrested for *snatching* them in Japan. At least that’s according to the story you linked to. Granted, he’s in an awful position and I hate hearing stories of parental kidnapping. Possession is 9/10ths and you gotta know the laws of the land you’re stepping in. Going off half-cocked does more to torpedo your chances than get you the outcome you desire.
jeannesager commented on Sep 30 09 at 6:15 pmFair enough Mistress – I should have provided a second link out. This piece talks about how the Japanese think divorced fathers shouldn’t have “contact” with the kids: http://inthefield.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/30/family-mans-plight-not-news-in-japan/
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Sep 30 09 at 7:24 pmCorrect. Apparently this is a cultural difference. Just clarifying the “arrested for” part. Nonetheless, there is a special place in hell for people who kidnap their kids just to get back at the other parent.
GiantPanda commented on Oct 01 09 at 8:06 amIn that case both the mother and the father will be going to that special place in hell…
Andy H commented on Oct 01 09 at 3:38 pmThe man kidnapped in his children in Japan. He and his children are Japanese & the incident happened in Japan. Japan recognises the mother as the primary custodian. Initially the American courts granted custody to the Japanese mother & the father only had access.
To put this into perspective, I will use another example. A man and his family are living in Iran. The Iranian court grants visitation to the Father but custody to the mother. The mother take the children to America, which recognises the mother as the sole custodian. Because of this Iran grants custody to the Iranian father. The father comes to America and kidnaps the children, he gets arrested trying to get the kids into the Iranian embassy. What should happen to the Iranian father and the kids? because what ever the answer is, is what should happen to the American father in the article and the kids
jeannesager commented on Oct 02 09 at 8:32 amAndy H – I like the spin of placing this out of the country. But I don’t think this is a nihilistic issue. I think the issue here is that the mother kidnapped the kids though – she didn’t just “take” them to Japan on a visit.
Dad commented on Oct 02 09 at 2:18 pmthe father didn’t get sole custody until after the mother fled to Japan. I think, even if the mother broke US laws, the father still broke Japanese laws. I believe the father also has Japanese citizenship.
Ri-chan commented on Nov 03 09 at 3:31 pmJust because he was granted custody in the US, it gives him no right to break Japanese law. You have to follow the laws of the country you’re in.
Isabelle Gonzales commented on Jul 10 10 at 8:40 pmI love this TV Series and have always been a fan of American Dad:*’
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